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THE SCOTSMAN - Monday 23 April, 1956

Hearts Realise a Dream of Half a Century

Decisive Victory over Celtic in Cup Final

BY OUR FOOTBALL CORRESPONDENT

Celtic 1, Heart of Midlothian 3

The Teams

CELTIC

Beattie; Meechan and Fallon; Smith, Evans, and Peacock, Craig, Haughney, Mochan, Fernie, and Tully

HEART OF MIDLOTHIAN

Duff; Kirk and McKenzie; Mackay, Glidden, and Cumming, Young, Conn, Bauld, Wardhaugh.

and Crawford.

Referee - R.H.Davidson (Airdrie.)

A dream of 50 years has been realised by Heart of Midlothian.

At last the Scottish Cup has been won, to erase the sufferings of half a century, and if the search has been long, there is no shadow of doubt that victory in Saturday’s final at Hampden Stadium, Glasgow went to the better side.

There have been more exciting finals, but I doubt if there ever has been a more popular result.

Down the years Hearts have been welcome visitors at all grounds in .Scotland, acclaimed for the skill and ability of their sides, yet always flattering to deceive.

At least until Saturday—and the hoodoo was finally laid by a display of real fighting spirit at a time when it was most needed.

Remember, this Tynecastle side always looked ahead of Celtic in all-round excellence yet, when they went in at halftime only one goal to the good, and that obtained with the aid of a strong breeze, there were those who said that Hearts had lost their chance.

It was an idea quickly dispelled, for a second score arrived just after the restart.Then Celtic came into the picture for a spell, reduced the leeway midway through the half only to find Hearts fighting back again to make victory certain No one can say the present Tynecastle men lack spirit.

That was the victory pattern as I saw it Hearts played as a team; Celtic were a disjointed company.

UNSUCCESSFUL GAMBLE

Supporters of the Glasgow side would no doubt trace their defeat to the boardroom decision to play right back Haughney at inside right, on the face of it, a strange transposition but they should not forget that Celtic faced the Final with a heavy injury list.

In any case, Haughney came to them from the juniors as a forward in this instance, the gamble did not come off the directors should not be blamed.

I thought there were three men who stood out in the Hearts side, though all must be congratulated on a fine team success in, choosing Mackay, Cumming and Crawford for special mention, they were the key men when things looked as if they might take a turn for the worse.

It was at that stage I got the feeling that certain Hearts were thinking of the past, or of Celtic’s traditional qualities in overcoming the heaviest of odds.

These three rallied the Tynecastle men. Mackay had the job of watching the left wing pair of Tully and Fernie, the latter especially one of the cleverest players in the game, though not always the most profitable.

Mackay performed his task in magnificent fashion with that spearhead blunted, with Mochan held in complete check by Glidden, and with Cumming, despite a nasty cut above his left eye which required stitches the master on the left, the Celtic forwards line never got a chance to function as a unit.

Duff had a good afternoon in goal.

and Kirk I rated the better back.

Crawford’s goals came when they were required to settle the nerves of his mates.

It was some time before they really got moving, for earlier a number of promising runs had broken down in the goal area, and it took a snap effort by the left winger to do the trick.

Bauld made the pass to Conn who promptly transferred to Crawford.

Beattie managed to get his fingers to the ball but could not stay its progress to the net.

That was in twenty minutes.

Not many thrills from Celtic so far until a Mochan header swirled inches past the post

GREAT DETERMINATION

The half-time verdict was that it had been no epic so far, but the second half helped to redress matters.

Three minutes after the restart Crawford got a second goal Bauld was the architect.

He trailed the ball down the left wing, eluded the attentions of Evans, and then sent over a nice cross.

Young was on the spot to head it down to Crawford, who had moved into the inside-right berth, and Hearts were further ahead.

The jubilation of their supporters was momentarily curbed when Haughney caused Duff to drop a Tully free kick and the back-turned-forward prodded home one for Celtic.

This was the stage when Hearts answered their critics.

Into the picture stormed Celtic but with as game a display of determination as I have seen for a long time, the Tynecastle side gradually got on top again, and with ten minutes left they settled the issue with a third goal.

Conn was the marksman, but again Bauld was the man who started the move.

TWO MAY BE "CAPPED"

Bauld, if quieter than Crawford, played a major part in the wingers success.

The left winger also got fine service from Wardhaugh.

If the right wing pair of Conn and Young were less prominent, they were equally effective in keeping Hearts on top.

These two players will be under consideration when the Scotland team to play against Austria is chosen at Glasgow today.

THE TIMES - Monday 23 April, 1956

THE OTHER CUP FINAL

HEARTS ARE SCOTTISH TRUMPS

Celtic 1, Heart of Midlothian 3

Hearts were trumps at Hampden Park, Glasgow, on Saturday.

That, at least, was how it seemed to an infidel from the South as giant Celtic were cast down in their own city in the final of the Scottish Cup and Heart of Midlothian took the trophy east again after exactly half a century.

So Edinburgh, the proud capital and the home of Hearts, enjoyed this moment of triumph and by nightfall had let down her hair with some well-mannered revelry along stately Princes Street.

This was Cup Final day in Glasgow with a vengeance.

From cockcrow there was only one topic of conversation.

Even the shaving hand of the barber shook alarmingly as he regaled his art with a ceaseless patter.

He was an Edinburgh man earning his living in Glasgow. Hearts were the pride of his life.

"Och! I’ll be through to the match.

I’ll no miss this day." His hand and the razor trembled.

By midday the city was awash as the tide from the east flowed in.

The streets were alive with noise.

Bugles and bells and rattles; peopke wearing their favours, the green and white of Celtic, the maroon of Hearts.

There was the same air of carnival as in London on Cup Final day.

Only in London it seems more dispersed.

There is a difference too, at Hampden itself.

It is more strident, more raucous.

It lacks the rather prim ritual of Wembley.

At Wembley, only a third, or slightly less of the 100,000 crowd would lay down their very lives for the teams engaged in battle. Rather, it has become a Derby Day, a function at which to be present.

But at Hampden quite 90,000 of the 130,000 gathering truly get their teeth into the struggle.

They are the clansmen who have watched their heroes in rain, wind and sun, and because a large proportion of the tickets are on public sale - unlike a Wembley final - they are in at the death.

Who gets the floating vote of the other 40,000 depends on the contestants themselves.

There was no question about this on Saturday.

And here was another difference.

Again unlike Wembley, the teams enter the vast arena separately.

If there was a gale of cheering when Celtic came out it was a mere whisper to the reception given to Hearts.

The skies were almost split.

There is a romantic ring about the Heart of Midlothian.

It is a name that has always been worn chivalrously by these men in maroon shirts. There was little doubt where Scottish hearts now lay in the main.

Deep in the middle Hampden’s battle raged.

It was never a classic but it was clean and exciting and the right team won, even for a neutral from across the border.

Hearts played the thoughtful football.

Celtic - without Stein at centre-half and "wee Bobby Collins" in attack - were the dour, experienced fighters who accepted defeat only at the last whistle. This was their twenty-seventh final, their fourth in six years and the third in succession.

Even two goals by Crawford, the Hearts outside-left - one before half-time, the other just after the interval - never damped Celtic’s spirits.

Urged on by Evans, now wearing his green and white horizontal striped shirt outside his trousers as he had worn Scotland’s colours the previous week against England - an old-fashioned touch indeed - Celtic fought back to 2 - 1 as Haughney rammed the ball home.

With a swirling wind and sun at their backs it seemed for a moment as if their spirit would save the day.

But with 10 minutes left Conn put Hearts beyond reach and the rejoicing must have been heard far away in Edinburgh itself as Hampden’s roar reached a new pitch.

So the Cup went east, and while the clock was about to go forward one hour Hearts turned back the calendar 50 years to their last triumph.

The English Cup was born in 1872 and its Scottish counterpart two years later.

But unlike England’s original "little tin idol" which disappeared from a shop window in Birmingham in 1895, the Scottish trophy is still going strong.

As such it is the oldest major prize in British football.

It has had its excitements, notably when it was withheld in 1909 after the Rangers-Celtic final of that year ended in a riot.

But thieves have never laid hands on it.

Now it is in Edinburgh.

But sadly we did not see the Hearts captain chaired from the field clutching his prize. This is a touch the Hampden scene lacks against Wembley.

But no matter. The capital rejoiced and only the Celtic clans sheltered in their tents. As the lights went up a party in evening dress were celebrating a wedding. They also celebrated something else: the victory of Hearts and the return to the senior League Division of the Queen’s Park amateurs.

These two are held in special affection and this was a day when all open minded Scotsmen were content.

HEART OF MIDLOTHIAN:-Duff; Kirk and McKenzie; Mackay, Glidden, and Cumming, Young, Conn, Bauld, Wardhaugh. and Crawford.

CELTIC:- Beattie; Meechan, Fallon; Smith, Evans, Peacock;Craig, Haughney, Mochan, Fernie, Tully.